C h a p t e r 1 1
Narration
A
narration (or narrative) tells a story. Sometimes narration explains a writer’s pur-
pose. Sometimes it is part of other means of development, such as character
sketches, autobiographies, biographies, and short stories.
cHaracteristics
Whether for the development of an entire paper or only a segment of a paper, narra-
tion has certain characteristics. A narration will
-^ tell a story,
-^ have a theme rather than a topic sentence [see theme, as it relates to short story,
in the Glossary],
-^ be written in the first person,
-^ tend to be factual,
-^ include description [see Chapter 10, Description],
-^ include dialogue [see Chapter 22, Dialogue],
-^ rely on sensory details for impact [see specific detail and imagery in the Glossary],
-^ follow a chronological organization [see chronological order in the Glossary].
Process
The process for developing narration is much like that of writing a description. The
following steps should help you develop a successful narration.
STEP 1: Prewriting—Planning the Narration
Topics for narrations are usually personal experiences that relate an event of inter-
est to the reader; but in the course of telling about the event, the writer makes a
point. Think about interesting situations or events in which you have been involved.
Maybe you witnessed an automobile accident, found a stray puppy, bought a new
car, were interviewed for a job, met an unusual salesperson, or experienced a fright-
ening carnival ride. Any of these can result in a narration. [See Chapter 1, Prewriting,